Studies show that the average teenager requires 9 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night, but she typically only gets 7. It’s becoming more and more common for the normal life of the average American high schooler to interfere with sleep. In a recent poll of 2,000 parents, 1 in 6 said their teen experiences frequent sleep problems, here defined as “having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep 3 or more nights per week.” More…
The High School Placement Test – or the HSPT – is an exam administered to 8th grade students who are applying to certain Catholic high schools. The HSPT test score helps to determine admissions decisions, class placement, and scholarship awards. If you are unsure how the HSPT is scored, these tips may help you. Here are seven HSPT strategies that can ensure success and raise your test score. 1. Practice, practice, practice. While it may…
Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it’s more commonplace than not for adults to have a few favorites. It’s basically radio that is personalized to a topic in which you are especially interested–what’s not to like? Teens can also join in the trend! See our list below for some great podcasts for high school students. 1. Revisionist History. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and The Tipping Point, looks back through the…
Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it’s more commonplace than not for adults to have a few favorites. It’s basically radio that is personalized to a topic in which you are especially interested–what’s not to like? Kids can also join in the trend! See our list below for some great podcasts for middle school children. 1. The Allusionist. Explore the English language, with all its oddities! Filled with good humor and…
Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it’s more commonplace than not for adults to have a few favorites. It’s basically radio that is personalized to a topic in which you are especially interested–what’s not to like? Kids can also join in the trend! See our list below for some great podcasts for elementary age children. 1. Tumble: Science is brought to life in this podcast that tells stories about…
Vocabulary influences fluency, comprehension, and student achievement, and a broad vocabulary is important for effective speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Vocabulary is a foundational component of an effective K-12 comprehensive literacy framework. And, vocabulary plays an important role in most academic standards. Since a broad vocabulary program includes both direct and indirect word-learning strategies, the following online tools can be easily integrated to support word learning and build vocabulary. In today’s 21st century classrooms, digital…
Most, if not all, modern students have extremely busy schedules. From school and homework to sports and clubs, not to mention time for family and friends, parents may imagine it would be difficult to make room for tutoring. This is not the case, however–Boston Tutoring Services offers in-home tutoring and makes every possible effort to fit your schedule. But did you know that we also offer tutoring online? Our experienced tutors can just as easily…
As junior year comes to a close, high school students tend to feel overwhelmed by the college planning process. To utilize their time wisely over this coming summer, juniors should try to get ahead on research and prepare their next steps for the break. Come senior year, they will be thanking themselves for starting early. Here are five things your junior needs to do this summer to prepare for senior year. 1. Apply for a…
We recommend that students take the ISEE more than once. Ideally, students take the test once during the course of test preparation with a tutor, and then again at the end of test preparation. This gives students time to learn from their mistakes and practice time-management and test-taking strategies. It also gives tutors the opportunity to use the student’s test as an additional formal assessment with which to guide their instruction over the remainder of…
It is never too early to start teaching the important life skill of goal setting to our children, and our goal setting tips can help. Learning to set goals teaches kids to take responsibility for themselves, and they learn that their actions can determine whether or not they fail or succeed. Goal setting also builds self confidence, as when children reach their goals, they learn to believe in their abilities and are more likely to…
